Apparatus for setting and copying- music eob the blind



No. 26,361. PATENTED DEC. 6, 1859. E. MARQUIS.` SETTING AND COPYINGMUSIC FOR THE BLINDl unnunnnnunnnunuunnnunrn nnunmnnnmunnnnnnnnnnnn nCIDDDDDDDDDDDUDDDDUDD d DACIDDDDDDDUDUDDUDDDBDDCI *n m una,nunnnnnnnnnnuunn uncnnn nxnnunnuunnnunn mulnumnnunuunnnnnunnnnnnnnuunnnnn nnuunnn'nnnnnn uun'nnnunnnnnu nnnunu-nnnnun unnnnunnnnnumnnun'nn nnnnnnuunuulnnn Nn'nnunnnnnnnnulnnnnnnnu n n g 'nm L'nawev TH:Noam varias cn, mowumc Aswwamx t:v c.

N UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

EMANUEL MARQUIS, OF BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA.

.APPARATUS FOR SETTING AND COPYING MUSIC FOR THE BLIND.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,361, dated December 6, 1859.

T0 all whom i may concern:

Be it known that I, EMANUEL MARQUIS, of Bloomington, in the county ofMonroe and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Apparatusfor the Purpose of Settingfof Copying Music for the Use of BlindPersons; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription.

My invention consists of a tablet A, pro vided with raised staves B Band square sockets b Z) placed at equal distances between, above andbelow the lines of the staves; in combination with detached, solid notesc c c, rest-s d l l and other signs of musical notation e e c which bymeans of a peg or pivot or its equivalent attached to each, may beinserted into the sockets of the table in such a manner as to representa musical exercise or composition, sensible to t-he touch of the blind.Notes, rests and all signs intended to occupy the spaces between thelines have their pivots in the center (F) while those to be placed onthe lines have the peg or pivot at the lower side (G). The bars I-I Hmay also be transposed and fixed across any part of t-he staves byhaving their pivots placed in the sockets. Where a chord I I of two,three or more stemmed notes is to be set on the stave, the stemlessnotes c' i z' are employed for all but the highest or lowest note of thechord, the stem of that one note determining the character of the rest.The whole notes are distinguished from t-he other stemless notes of thissystem by presenting a concave surface to the touch. The samecharacteristic distinguishes the half notes from the quarter notes. The

notes having ledger lines are, of course, for the sockets above andbelow the staves.

This apparatus may be constructed entirely or in part of wood, metal,bone, or any other hard material not liable to be worn out by use. Byfastening the tablet in a flat case, whose lid when shut, fits closelyagainst the types, thus holding them to their places, the advantage isgained of rendering the tablet portable without risk of disarranging thenotes set up in it.

In playing piano music from the above table the blind performer wouldhave to master the two parts of treble and bass one at a time. Thisaccomplished he can then use both hands on the keyboard of hisinstrument simultaneously.

rIhe nearest approach to this method of aiding the blind in theacquirement of the art of music is, as far as I know, the use of raisedstereotype sheet music fabricated on the plan of the literarypublications for the blind. .Iy improvement admitting of a transpositionof the musical signs renders it easy for any seeing person, even if hehimself be ignorant of music, to copy music from any given printed sheetfor the blind, the process being similar to, but simpler than, that of aprinter setting his type.

Believing this to be a new invent-ion I claim` The tablet A or itsequivalent with raised staves and sockets in combination with detached,solid notes and other signs of musical notation, or their equivalents,capable of being transposed on, and fixed in, the tablet substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

EMANUEL MARQUIS.

Vitnesses JAS. F. CARTER, B. I. SEWARD.

